After pressure from Black Lives Matter protesters, the Marin County Board of Supervisors trimmed $1.7 million from the Marin County Sheriff’s Department budget — the equivalent of 8 officers.
At a virtual meeting on June 24, the supervisors heard hundreds of people demand a complete defunding of the Sheriff’s Department and the money reallocated to schools and counselors. Some demanded that the department stop putting officers on school campuses.
Others told county leaders that police are a blight on Marin and need to disappear.
(For the complete story, see the Novato Advance and Marinscope newspapers on Wednesday, July 1.)
Are schools and counselors going to help in situations of domestic abuse? Are schools and counselors going to protect us and our homes when threatened, or uphold the law when, say, a restraining order is required? The Marin County Sheriff’s department helped me when I really needed the arm of the law. I owe them a debt of gratitude, and I hazard a guess I am not the only person who does. Reducing their funding is nothing more than another short-sighted, emotion-driven palliative for righteous outrage. It is not rational and it is not a solution to the problem of systemic inequality in this country.
Agree.
I agree whole heartedly. I have never heard anyone have a bad experience with our Sheriffs department. Why are they taking away our constitutional right to protection under the law.
Totally agree with you, Casey. If they heard supposedly hundreds of voices crying out to defund the police, the rest of us who think otherwise should have our voices heard before this is executed. What about those who think there should be more funding for the police, who do dangerous work at all hours of the day and night. More funding to the police would provide additional training, support, and maybe less work hours so they aren’t so freakin’ stressed out after risking their lives every day. Marin is one of the best places to live – let’s keep it that way.